In this issue, we share some fabulous fiction titles newly available this fall, including Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake. This captivating story portrays main character Lara recounting to her daughters experiences of her youth, such as starring in a production of Thornton Wilder’s famous play Our Town, which we look at further in a connected Beyond the Book article.
Where There Was Fire, the harrowing but triumphant debut from John Manuel Arias, gradually reveals the insidious effects of an American corporation on multiple generations of Costa Rican women. In another domestic drama with elements of mystery, Angie Kim’s Happiness Falls, a father goes missing and a family’s flaws are laid bare. C Pam Zhang’s Land of Milk and Honey creates suspense in a future setting, following a chef who seeks pleasure in food as Earth’s plants and animals are vanishing, while Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel’s Dayswork revels in pleasures of the mind, centering on one woman’s obsession with Herman Melville. Check out our accompanying list of author homes to visit in Massachusetts — after all, autumn is the perfect time for a New England road trip!
Nathan Hill’s Wellness, the tale of an unhappy married couple, will keep you entertained with its lively critique of modern pseudoscience and internet theories. Meanwhile, Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons (see our current book club discussion along with the review), a retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and Jessica Knoll’s Bright Young Women, a fictionalization of Ted Bundy’s crimes that spotlights his victims, use storytelling as cultural criticism by framing old narratives with contemporary insight.
We bring you many additional articles and reviews, previews of other noteworthy fall titles, a new Wordplay and more.
Thank you for being a BookBrowse member. We couldn’t do this without you, and I am grateful to every one of you.
Davina Morgan-Witts
BookBrowse Publisher
